The Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai is set to host the India women's cricket team taking on Australia women in a Test match in December this year. The one-off Test will be part of an exciting all-format tour that will witness two quality sides going toe to toe in different venues in the city of Mumbai.
The one-off Test will be a day-night fixture, to be played with the pink ball. In addition to the Test, the Wankhede Stadium will also host a three-match ODI series, offering fans a great viewing experience of women's cricket.
The scheduled Test at the Wankhede Stadium marks the return of women's Test cricket in India after a gap of nine years. The last time women played a Test match on Indian soil was in November 2014, when India faced South Africa in Mysore. The last time Australia women played a Test in India was at none other than the Wankhede Stadium, which was way back in 1984.
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Wankhede Stadium is scheduled to host five matches in the ongoing 2023 ODI World Cup, including one of the semifinals. It is one of the most iconic cricketing venues in the world and playing a Test here will be a big boost to women's cricket.
The Indian and Australian women will compete in an all-format series, a format which has been quite popular in women's cricket. Every game in each of the formats holds a great significance and that makes for a great viewing.
This will be the second time India women play a pink-ball Test, and the first time on Indian shores.
This year's Ashes series between England and Australia women went into history books as one of the greatest series. The invincible-looking Australia women bagged four points after winning the one-off Test and extended the lead with two points in the first T20I. England then bounced back by winning the next two T20Is and two of the three ODIs to level the series on 8-8 points. Australia women lost both the limited overs series, losing their undefeated record of the last few years.
Australia women are currently in the middle of a limited overs series, hosting West Indies in three T20Is and three ODIs.
There has been a huge demand for women's cricket in India and perhaps the first glimpse of it was when fans flocked to the stadium in the previous series between these two sides in India. India and Australia had delivered exciting action during that five-match series in December 2022, which Australia ended up winning by 4-1.
The last time India and Australia faced each other in a Test was at Carrara on India's 2021 tour, with the match ending in a draw.
